There is no doubt that Nikola Jokic has resurrected the center position in a league dominated by guards and point forwards. He is the mold for any international player looking to become the best. If anyone has inserted their name into the “best of” conversations in recent years, it’s Jokic. He has put himself in elite company in the modern-day NBA, but that’s just the beginning. If he continues his current dominance, there could be some very uncomfortable conversations arising, but this one shouldn’t be. From stats and awards to everything in between, Jokic is a top-three center in NBA history, and that’s being gracious to those who came before him.
Jokic has the stats to compete with the best to ever do it, but for centers, he clears practically everyone. Ranging from guard-like numbers in certain categories to all-time league highs, Jokic has a resume few had at his age, or ever.
It’s impressive for anyone to average a triple-double throughout an 82-game regular season. Jokic is not only the first big man to average a triple-double, but also the third ever to accomplish this feat. Averaging 29.6 points, 10.2 assists, and 12.7 rebounds on 57.6% from the field, he also shot his career-high in three-point percentage this season at 41.7%. Jokic has now averaged 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 7+ assists for five straight seasons. Along with this, Jokic has played over 65 games every season he’s been in the league, a pinnacle of consistency.
Diving deeper into his stats, he’s had 40+ double-doubles for seven straight seasons, and 164 total triple-doubles, making him third all-time at the age of 30. Since his first MVP season, Jokic has led the league in offensive win shares every single season. His box plus-minus, while a heavily overlooked stat in the media, is the all-time league high at 10.28.
The Serbian’s dominance in every statistical category has led to him being one of the most decorated players in the modern-day NBA. Behind only a select few of active players, Jokic could surpass all of them by the time he decides to hang it up.
Jokic finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in the 2015-16 season and made first team all-rookie. He’s a seven-time consecutive NBA All-Star, also being selected for an All-NBA team seven times in just ten years in the league. Jokic finished top 5 in MVP voting in six of the last seven seasons, winning three.
What hurts Jokic’s chances at the number one spot all-time for centers is his lack of championships. He has only one, coming in the 2022-23 season, with the Finals MVP award as well. A decent counter-argument to his lack of success is just how deep the Western Conference is. This is arguably the toughest any conference has been, and it continues to get harder and harder.
The Nuggets finished the season at 50-32 and received the fourth seed. If they had lost just three more games, they would have been in the play-in instead of having home-court advantage in their first series. While this is still a knock to his overall greatness, it’s understandable to a certain extent.
Jokic is sitting very nicely at third all-time at the center position. He could easily take that number one spot in just a season or two of more dominance. However, there are two guys above him just squeaking out ahead of him.
Shaquille O’Neal is second and is highly regarded as the most dominant player to ever touch the NBA floor. A Hall of Famer, O’Neal was a 15-time NBA All-Star and a 14-time All-NBA selection. He led the league in scoring twice and won one MVP award in the 1999-2000 season. However, he finished top ten in MVP voting 14 times. Shaq finished his career with four championships, with three coming back-to-back-to-back, and three Finals MVPs. O’Neal finished his career averaging 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks a game.
O’Neal’s peak is often regarded as one of the best in NBA history. Jokic still has some work to do to catch him, but he’s much closer to O’Neal than the next player.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is first for good reason. A Hall of Famer, Jabbar is a six-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP, and was a 19-time NBA All-Star in his 20-year career. He led the league in scoring twice and blocks four times. Jabbar finished top 10 in MVP voting in all but three seasons. The second all-time scoring leader was also selected 15 times to an All-NBA team, and earned 11 selections to the All-Defensive teams. Jabbar finished his career averaging 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.6 blocks a game.
With all of that plus six NBA championships, Jabbar is the center for Jokic to beat. Jokic is certainly closer to O’Neal, but his remaining years will be spent chasing them both as he continues to dominate, just like these two before him.
Jokic is certainly catching up to O’Neal and Jabbar, but to say anyone else is close to him is tough. His peak is extending longer and longer, and he will continue to dominate everyone in the league for the next several seasons. At 30, he still has plenty of time to win some more MVPs, but he’ll need to step up even more in the playoffs if he wants to jump into some of the more interesting conversations. While there are some players close, like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and a few more, Jokic has cleared them. He’s one of the best to ever play the position, and that’s certainly something to hang his hat on.
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